Rotary valve.



R. B. EWART.

ROTARY VALVE. APPLICATION FILED J'AN.30,1913.

1,131,77fi Patented. Mar.16,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. B. EWART.

ROTARY VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. so, 1913.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNKTED STATllEg PATENT (EFFICEO nonnnr savanna/or nnrnorr, micnreaiv.

ROTARY VALVE,

Specification of'I-etters Patent.

\ Patented Manilti, il91l5 Application fil ed January 30, 1913. Serial No. 745,226.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l ROBERT E. EWART, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented cer-' tain new and useful Improvements in R0 caused by the explosions within the cylinder is reduced to a minimum without unduly" restricting the passage leading from the cylinder to the valve. N

A'further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of spring packing members and, to provide certain other new and useful features in the construction and arrangement of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described.

To these ends the invention, consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the claims reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section through the upper end or head of the cvlinder of an engine embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same showing a pair of cvlinders and a seat block and valve in side elevation; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the cap and valve substantially on the line III-TTI of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified construction: and Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4' with the cap removed.

For convenience of illustration, the invention is shown-as applied to a four-c linder engine of the vertical type in which the cylinders are cast en bloc, but it will be understood that the invention may be applied to other types of engines having any desired number of cylinders cast in any suitable manner. I N

In the drawing, 1 indicates the engine cylinder having water jackets 2 and an upwardly extending head portion 3 which is faced oil to form a seat for a cap member 4,

said head and'cap being also formed with a Water space communicating fw-ith the water jacket of the cylinders. The cap is secured firmly to its seat on the head by means of bolts S'passing through openingsin the cap and engag ng screwthreaded openings in the head. The head 3 is formed with a channel or chamber which is rectangular in cross section, this channel extending across theupper ends of the several cylinders when said cylinders are cast en bloc, or. said channel may extend across one or more of the cylinders as desired. Fitting within this channel or chamber is a seatblock 6 which may be formed in a single piece to extend from end to end of the channel across the several cylinders or it may be divided transversely between the cylinders into two or more parts. In its upper side this block is formedwith a semi-circular seat for a cylindrical valve 7 and the cap 4 is formed with a like semi-cylindrical seatfor the valve. The block is also formed in its lower side with ports and passages 8 adapted to reg ister with intake and exhaust ports 9 and 10 respectively in the valve. A reducedneck portion 11 connects the upper end of each cylinder with the channel portion 12 of the head and each connecting portion is bored out to receive a tubular extension 13 on the seat block, said tubular extensions being attached to the block by screwthreading their upper ends to engage screwthreaded openings in the blocksor they may be formed integral with the block as desired. Each extension 13 forms a-passage opening into the upper end of the cylinder at its lower end and connects with the passage in the block leading from the port 8 therein which is elongated in the direction of the length of the block and contracted laterally to give the desired width of bore which has a capacity equal to the capacitv of the bore of the tubular extension 13. Each of these extensions 13 is provided with aplurality of packing rings 14 so that compression will be held in the cylinder against escape upward around the seat block.

The seat block is of slightly lesser vertical width than the depth of the channel in the head and to hold it yieldingly in contact with the lower half of the valve, it is formed along its two side edges with a series of spring members 15 resting upon the bottom of the channel and yieldingly supporting the block. These spring members are each formed integral with the edge of'the block by cutting a groove 16 in the bottom of the. block at a short distance from each edgev thus leaving a depending portion at each edge of the block which is partially severed therefrom by slits 17 formed by sawing into the sides of the block at a distance. from its lower edge equal to the depth of the groove 16 andthen-cutting the depending portion vertically at 18 intermediate the ends of each slit 17 to form springportions extending laterally from. a portion which connects them with the body of the block between the ends of the slits 17 The lower edge of each spring member 15 is cut away slightly so that itwill bear upon the bottom of the channel. in the head at its ends only, and the bottom of the block is cut-away in a like manner so that the whole block will be supported entirely by the yielding ends of the spring members, The block ispreferably formed of cast iron or other suitable metal and as these spring members are an integral part thereof they will not be readily affected by the high temperature caused by the continuedexplosions taking place in the upper end of the adjacent cylinder. The block may, if desired, be cored out longitudinally.

at 19 for the purposeoflightness and giving abett'er cooling effect. I

The cylindrical valvesuitable construction but ispreferably of the form shown. This valve in itself and independently of the construction and arrangement of the other parts forms no part of this invention as it has been made the subject of a separate application filed by me and now-pending in the United States Pat-.

ent Office. The form of this valve however,

makes it particularly adaptable for use with;

this particular construction and arrange.- ment of seat block as said valveoperates in conjunction with a single passage leading therefrom into the upper end of the cylinder. The valve comprises a cylindrical shell or wall 20 and end walls 21, one of which end-walls is formed with an outwardly extending axial trunnion or shaft 22 by means of which the valve maybe turned in timed relation to the movement of the engine pistons 23 in any suitable manner. The shell' of the valveuis provided with a series of openings 24 arranged around the valve oppo site each inlet passage 25 formed in a cap and a like series of openings 26 is-providcd in the wall of the valve opposite each exhaust passage27 in the cap.- To register with each. of the ports 8 leading into the upper ends ofthe cylinders when the valve is turned, are two inlet ports 9 arranged diametrically opposite each other, and in like manner two exhaust ports 10 are arranged in the wall oftthe valve at diametrically opposite points. to also register with each. of said ports 8. The ports of each pair of ports 7 may be; of any at each side" thereof into which the inlet ports 10 open. At one end of the ports 9, the two walls 29 are connected by a-.wall 31 whichclosesone side "of the passage 28 and at the opposite end of said ports the walls 29 are connectedto the wall of the shell of the valve by walls'32 which close one side of the passages 19.. The passages 28 and3'0 thus open laterally, longitudinally of the valve iniopposite directions to connect with those portions of the valve into which the exhaust and inlet passages open respectively. In this construction of valve, adjacent cylinders have a common intake and others a common exhaust, and a single passage for each cylinder serves to admit the charges thereto and'conduct the exhausttherefrom, giving a very compact construction and permitting the passage to be madeof ample size in the tubular extension 13 to give a free entrance and exit of the gases without having an extended area exposed to the forceyof the explosions and thus causing a heavy pressure on the valve.

In Figs. 4; and 50f the drawings, a cir- N formed with'a series of spring members along its lower peripheral edge formed in a manner similar to that of the members 15, and each. block is ofgreater diameter than the diameter of the valve so that it will extend upwardly at each side of said valve to the horizontal plane of the longitudinal axis thereof and form an extended seat for the valve. By providing the tubular extension in which ,the passage 8 is formed, a much smaller area is exposed to-theforce of the explosrons than would be exposed if the lower end of the block itself extended through or formed the. upper endwall of the cylinder.

Obviously other changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my in vention and I 'donot limit myself to, the par. ticular form or construction shown.

8 Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is 1'. In an engine, the combination of aplurality of cylinders each havingv a bore extending through the end thereof, a cylindrical valve having ports opening through the sides thereof, a cap for all of the cylinders rigidly secured thereto and formed with a seat for half of the valve and with inlet and exhaust passages adapted to register with the ports in the valve, a block extending across and seated upon all of the cylinders beneath the cap and formed with a seat for the other half of the valve and provided with extensions each engaging a bore in the end of a cylinder, said block and extensions being formed with passages opening into the cylinders and adapted to register with the ports in the valve, and means for yieldingly holding said block in contact with said valve.

2. In an engine the combination with a cylinder and a cylinder portion having a passage opening into said cylinder, and formed with a valve seat, of a valve engaging the valve seat to control said passage, a member preventing leakage between said valve and its seat, yielding means for holding said member in operative position comprising a plurality of spring members formed by partially severing the portions of said member therefrom.

3. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder, a cylinder portion formed with a valve seat, and a passage leading therefrom to the cylinder, a rotatable valve controlling said passage, of a member adapted to engage said valve and prevent leakage around the same, and a plurality of spring fingers formed integral with said member to hold the member in valve.

4. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder, a cylinder portion .having a passage communicating with the interior of the cylinder, and a cylindricalvalve controlling said passage, of a seat member forming a seat for the valve, and means for holding said member in yielding contact with the valve comprising a plurality of spring fingers formed integral with said member by partially severing edge portions of the member therefrom.

5. In an engine the combination with a cylinder having a'passage leading thereto and a rotatable cylindrical valve controlling the said passage, of a member engaging the valve, and means for holding said member in yieldingcontact with the valve comprising a plurality of spring fingers formed by slotting the metal at a distance from the edge thereof parallel with said edge at in-' tervals and cutting through said edge at right angles to said slots intermediate the ends thereof to form spring members exyielding contact with the tending laterally from the portion which is integral with the body of the member between the adjacent ends of the slots.

6. In an engine the combination with a cylinder, a cylinder portion formed with a chamber and a cap secured to the cylinder portion and formed withone-half of a valve seat, of a seat block in said chamber formed with the other half of a valve seat, a cylindrical valve engaging said seats, and means for yieldingly holding the block in contact with the valve comprising a series of spring fingers formed by providing a channel in the bottom of the block at a distance from its edge, and slots in the sides cutting through at intervals into said channel, the severed depending, portion thus formed being cut at right angles to the slots to form integral spring fingers extending laterally from the portions between the adjacent ends of the slots, and said spring fingers being cut away between their ends to form supporting projections at the extreme ends of said fingers.

7. In an engine, the combination with a plurality of cylinders, of a head portion formed with a chamber extending across the ends of the cylinders and having neck portions connected with the upper ends of the cylinders and formed with bores connecting theinterior of the cylinders with the chamber, a seat block in said chamber formed with a valve seat which is semi-circular in cross section and provided with a port op- I posite each cylinder, tubular extensions on the block engaging the ports and opening into the upper ends of the cylinders to form passages leading from the ports in the seat block, packing rings on said extensions, a cap-secured to the head and formed with a valve seat which is semi-circular in cross section and with passages leading from said seat, a rotatable cylindrical valve engaging the seat in the block and the seat in the cap I and provided'with passages having ports adapted to register with the ports in the block, and a series of spring fingers formed integral with the block along its lower edges to engage the bottom of the chamber and yieldingly hold the block in contact with the valve,

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT B. EVVART. Witnesses:

LEWIS E. F LANDERS, ANNA M. Donn. 

